Katrina

Such a pretty name for such an potentially catastrophically ugly event. How many ways can we count the cost in advance? How many issues turn up?

Oil disaster: The Oil Drum says that apparently a third of the US domestic oil production flows through New Orleans. They've got some model that predicts 73% of Gulf oil production could be cut for less than 10 days, 40% of oil production could be cut for 10-30 days, and 23% cut for over 30 days. How's that for a challenge to your pocketbook? My husband filled up on his way home from the Cubs game this afternoon, and avoided several stations in Chicago that were selling for $3.

Environmental disaster: The National Weather Service is predicting huge losses of trees in the area. The loss of trees and continued battering will exacerbate the already-dangerous erosion of coastal lands. Short piece here about how devastating Category 4 and 5 hurricanes are to the environment. Too bad the Coast 2050 plan hasn't really been implemented yet. Hope there's something left to save.

Global warming and hurricanes: Interestingly enough, there was a seminar held in Washington DC in June. It was the American Meteorological Society’s Environmental Science Seminar Series: New Orleans, Hurricanes and Climate Change: A Question of Resiliency. Wonder how many folks attended, particularly those politicos from NOLA? Hope enough to make a difference.
Loss of life: Makes it sound mighty clinical, doesn't it? The last Category 5 hurricane to hit Louisiana, Camille (which hit in 1969), killed 258 folks. That flier I referenced, above, estimates there are over 57,000 people in the area without cars. How, exactly, do these people evacuate? God. Hope the relatively early warning gets people out safely.

And have you actually looked at the radar? Jesus. Get out of there, people.

Off to watch it all on tv.

Until tomorrow,
Liz